New Releases for Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011

Posted Aug 17, 2011 by John Allman

Updated Aug 17, 2011 at 06:37 AM

Here’s what’s new in stores and on video shelves this week:

Super
Genre: Superhero/Comedy/Action
Directed by: James Gunn
Run time: 96 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Some movies beg to be cool.

They throw as much eye candy as possible at the screen in the hopes of overwhelming the viewer so that they have no choice but to be bludgeoned into submission, a willing puppet to go out and spread the word that they just saw a movie that must be seen by all.

Then there’s “Super.”

I’m pretty sure “Super,” if it possessed the ability to interact with viewers on that level,  would rather nut punch people than pander for their approval.

“Super” is, well, just that.

It’s that rare film experience that just takes you by such surprise and unfolds in such unexpected ways and is filled by so many disparate themes that still manage to coalesce by the end that you can’t help but want to run down the hall, wake your roommate or girlfriend or wife and drag them to the couch for an immediate viewing.

Writer/director James Gunn has given fans of cult cinema a new mecca - a film that transcends convention, that stands up established genre, superhero and action cliches and knocks them down hard, one by one, with a pipe wrench.

A lot of people might compare “Super” to “Kick #####,” but that’s an unfair assessment. For one, Matthew Vaughn’s film had a considerably higher budget, was based off an established property and reveled in highly-stylized action sequences.

“Super” is something entirely different.

Where “Kick #####” considered the ramifications of ordinary people signing up to become heroes and villains with an unlimited bank account to buy high-tech gadgets and cool customized rides, “Super” dips into the dark reality of comic book heroes that is rarely explored, namely that most of our heroes are really just functioning sociopaths with a penchant for violence and a nihilistic streak for mayhem who get off on pummeling the perception of evil under the guise of helping out.

Because, when you get right down to it, both Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson) and Libby (Ellen Page), who fight crime as the Crimson Bolt and Boltie, suffer from an extreme mental illness. They should be locked deep inside a facility where they could do no harm to themselves or others.

That’s the giddy, gleeful, gory – yet largely unspoken – truth about superheroes that Gunn relishes the opportunity to expose.

Christopher Nolan has danced with these themes in his compelling Batman films, but he has avoided coming right out and showing Bruce Wayne to be a complete nutjob who sits inside his sprawling mansion in his underwear eating cereal out of the box with a fork and foregoing taking a bath.

Gunn doesn’t miss a moment where he can show the damage that is inflicted when the Crimson Bolt or Boltie beat the ever-loving snot of someone. Heads get cracked open, faces get pulverized, people die. Innocent people.

If someone put on a costume today and decided to fight crime and they attacked a would-be assailant, they wouldn’t just handcuff them and carry them off to a police station. They would bash their head against the sidewalk until the perpetrator was unable to defend themselves. And that’s exactly what happens here.

As the Bolt and Boltie, Wilson and Page are revelatory.

For Wilson, it’s his finest hour as an actor yet. He just sprints out onto the tightrope and never looks down, making Frank as real and troubled as DeNiro did Travis Bickle some 34 years ago. Frank has visions, you see. He can see a person’s inner demons manifested. He can see Jesus squatting on his wall. He believes God speaks to him, and often. And he experiences, in one of the most WTF-mind-bending cinematic moments since Donnie Darko let loose with a snaking tube of time-space continuum through his living room, the Lord’s touch through the aid of a tentacled creature straight out of H.P. Lovecraft in what is by far the trippiest scene you’re likely to see in a quasi-mainstream movie ever.

For Page, this is a role unlike any she’s played. She is called upon to be sensual and sexy, which she nails with aplomb, but she also has to exhibit a bloodlust that is intoxicating. And it feels right, and real. If you finally got to let loose and pulverized someone into a bloody pulp, you would probably let out a whoop and a few choice hell yeahs! too.

Two other actors who really bring their A game to play: Nathan Fillion and Kevin Bacon.

Both men go outside their comfort zone, and it works. Fillion plays the Holy Avenger, a television superhero in the vein of Adam West’s Batman, complete with a big goofy, colorful costume. He also serves as a spiritual advisor to Frank, seemingly speaking to him direct from the TV whenever Frank has a crisis of faith.

Bacon plays so loose and carefree that he becomes almost his own clean energy source. He develops a rhythm delivering his lines that crackles with surprise. And despite being the big bad guy, he’s one of the most likable characters on screen.

This isn’t a movie for everyone.

There’s so much going on at times that it literally feels like Gunn just threw caution out the window while speeding down a night interstate with the lights off, unaware of what might be coming up ahead.

But this is the kind of movie that more people should be making. A film without fear. A film that challenge you to keep up. A film that presents complex characters in very real situations that do unexpected and dangerous and, yes, absolutely insane things.

That, in a word, is “Super.” And it is about freaking time.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Ellen Page is surprisingly hot. Liv Tyler is smoking hot.
Nudity – Yes.
Gore – Considerable.
Drug use – Considerable.
Bad Guys/Killers – Everyone from a poor schmuck who may have keyed a car to drug dealing crime bosses.
Buy/Rent – Buy. It. Now.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – Commentary with James Gunn and Rainn Wilson; deleted scene; Behind the Scenes making-of; two featurettes, the hysterical “How to Fight Crime at SXSW” and “Making of the Main Titles”; trailer; TV spot.
On the Web – http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/super

Tactical Force (Sony, 90 minutes, R, Blu-Ray): After eight movies, and repeated tries to establish himself as a bonafide action star alongside The Rock and other professional wrestlers who have made the leap, Stone Cold Steve Austin has finally found a vehicle that works.

And it’s a complete throwback to the cheesy, “Die Hard”-esque action films of the 1990s where the term ‘wrong place, right time’ always ensured maximum carnage.

Here, Austin plays the leader of an elite SWAT unit (is there any other kind?) who bends, breaks and bodyslams all the rules (would there be a movie if not?) while overseeing a motley crew of irreverent, violent characters (don’t they ever write parts for sane, stable family-oriented cops anymore?).

After decimating a grocery store and killing a bunch of would-be hostage-takers, Austin’s crew gets dressed down by their supervisor (like that scene hasn’t been done 1,000 times) and ordered to attend counseling (guaranteed to help) and participate in a mandatory training exercise (what could go wrong?).

It just so happens that a bunch of Russian criminals (because they are so prevalent) have hidden a valuable briefcase (what’s inside the box?) at the isolated and apparently rarely used SWAT training facility. A snitch has told some other foreign criminals about the briefcase in order to save his hide. And so both groups of rivals thugs show up ON THE SAME DAY as Austin’s team’s training drill.

Right, because we all believe in serendipity.

Before you can say John McClain, Austin and his team, which includes the always-excellent Michael Jai White, find themselves pinned down and outgunned with no means to call for help.

Yes, it’s completely preposterous, utterly cheesy and about as low-budget as an action film filled with bad Russian accents can be, but “Tactical Force” is actually a fun little flick that goes down easy as long as you don’t expect it to suddenly morph into “Lethal Weapon.”

Austin, in particular, does a good job as the stoic leader who always has a quip ready. White is equally good playing second fiddle. And the bad guys, including MMA superstar Keith Jardine, who has a climatic battle royal with Austin that would have headlined a Pay-Per-View back in the day, are adequate enough to pose an actual threat.

Choose (IFC, 86 minutes, Unrated, DVD): This low-rent “Seven” wannabe could have been a much better movie but it suffers from the same pitfalls as so many previous imitators. First, the red herrings – every conceivable male character introduced is done so in a way as to cast doubt on whether they can be trusted. Second, the improbably intricate moral exercises taking place – victims must “choose” their fate, deciding who lives, who dies, who suffers, etc. Third, the elaborate and impeccably timed cat and mouse game taking place between a college journalism major and the killer – he’s in her apartment, he’s leaving her gifts at the library. And finally, the casting – while Kevin Pollack is serviceable as the father/police chief, Katheryn Winnick just can’t prop up her hefty role as Pollack’s daughter with any sort of believable gravitas. Every time she walks into an important scene, the wind gets sucked out of the room. It doesn’t help that some scenes are just so cheesy, like Winnick storming into a police briefing, interrupting her father and laying out snippets of key information. That would never happen in real life. “Choose” also suffers from too many twists in the last half hour during the inevitable big reveal, the now-cliched big villain speech and the final, totally illogical swerve.

Dream Home (IFC, 96 minutes, Unrated, DVD): A movie about the housing market collapse that no one would dare make in America, this Japanese shocker comes highly recommended for the gore quotient alone. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that “Dream Home” has some of the bloodiest, most inventive kills of any movie released in 2011 so far. It’s simply unrivaled in the carnage category. That a young woman is doing all the killing only makes it that much more surprising. But her motives for going on a rampage are so well thought-out and fully fleshed out that the realization of why this is happening delivers the ultimate chill. Suffice to say, it’s pretty brilliant. And it’s not unlike something that you could imagine happening here in the states. Horror fans may not care ultimately about the moral crux of the story. But they will be floored by the execution of the many, many, many gruesome denouements that take place.  Intestines are spilled, faces split apart, genitals destroyed, even babies aren’t safe from the bloody wrath. Again, this is not a film for the squeamish. It’s not even something you would envision being released here. And that’s possibly the highest compliment, and best possible reason, to seek it out immediately.

The Clinic (Image, 93 minutes, Unrated, DVD): “The Clinic,” an independent Australian import, is a wickedly tense, pitch-black tale of science run amok. It takes well-established genre tropes – the suddenly missing girlfriend/fiancé/wife, the desolate, run-down, remote location, the why-is-this-happening-to-perfectly-nice-people randomness –
and tosses them all into a blender. What comes out is a frothy mix of medical science-fiction swirled with enough bloody gore to appease horror fans. “The Clinic” is a surprising sleeper, a film packaged in a DVD cover that might otherwise get overlooked. But stick around long enough for the succession of big reveals in the last 20 minutes and you will be pleasantly rewarded with a stunning jab-jab-uppercut of surprising turns and startling revelations. In fact, you almost wish the ending was the middle and there was suddenly another 30 to 45 minutes of action to look forward to.

Dr. Who: Paradise Towers and Dr. Who: The Sun Makers (BBC, 100 minutes and 100 minutes, Unrated, DVD): Credit the brilliant Steven Moffat – the driving force behind the last several seasons of the BBC’s resurgent Doctor Who franchise – with making Who not only cool, but cooler than ever in the Doctor’s amazing 48-year history. Now the BBC offers new fans a chance to see that it’s no fluke, that through so many various iterations over the course of five decades, the Doctor has always provided thought-provoking sci-fi even if its production values came off as somewhat cheesy. “Paradise Towers,” in particular, from the 1980s, stars Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. He’s not nearly as captivating as David Tennant or Matt Smith, or even Christopher Eccleston, for that matter. But the four-part story, about a former destination paradise that has fallen into warring factions with a dark secret at its core, is pure Who. It may not be exceuted with the same pizzazz as today’s storylines, and the effects, as stated, are definitely low-tech, but the Doctor’s charm, his refusal to panic in the face of imminent doom and his perky sidekick, played here by Bonnie Langford, will bring fond memories for fans.

Frat House Massacre (Synapse Films, 116 minutes, Unrated, DVD): This bloody, gory, gratuitously boob-filled throwback to the slasher films of the 1980s chugs along with enough mean-spirited misogynistic hijinks, homoerotic undertones and completely ludicrous, last act swerves that it keeps your attention long after logic has leapt out the window and reason has gone and stuck its head in an oven.

Paul (Universal, 104 minutes, Unrated, Blu-Ray): Here’s the thing, and it’s a painful thing to admit. I absolutely adore “Shaun of the Dead.” It’s a near-perfect rom-zom-com (that’s romantic zombie comedy for all you hillbillies out there) with the best comedic pairing (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) ever in this type film. The problem is, they just can’t capture lighting twice. They tried with “Hot Fuzz,” an irreverent send-up of Hollywood action epics, but the joke played out well before the credits rolled. And with “Paul,” their ode to Comic-Con, Area 51 and stoner movies, the tag-team of Pegg and Frost just don’t bring a consistent cavalcade of laughs, even with Seth Rogen voicing Paul, the little green guy at the film’s core.

Your Highness (Universal, 102 minutes, Unrated, Blu-Ray): Funnier than “Paul,” but likely not the laugh-riot that was intended, “Your Highness” basically adds a potty mouth and some not-so-subtle stoner humor to a medieval sword and sorcery genre romp populated with mythical creatures, witches, a very funny bisexual Yoda-like ganja-smoking wizard and Natalie Portman. This lowbrow high-concept is fueled by mismatched protagonists Danny McBride and James Franco. Both guys are likable and do a good job conveying the inherent pluses and minuses of their respective character traits, although McBride grates early and often as the whiny, less than heroic brother who must redeem himself by going on a quest. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable if average episode of Dungeons and Dragons sprinkled liberally with F-bombs.

Also Available:

Dazed and Confused – David Wooderson would be proud. This movie is as old as he likes his ladies, and it just keeps aging well. 

Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Quick, name your favorite scene. Is it Judge Reinhold fantasizing about Phoebe Cates before she catches him in the change room? Sean Penn smacking his head with a pair of Vans to show how impervious his stoned skull is to pain? Or Brian “Rat” Backer pining for Stacy Hamilton to the strains of Jackson Brown?

M.A.S.K.: The Complete Series – Very few kid’s cartoons would dare build a show around a main character’s death or use revenge as its main motivating factor, but this 1985 guilty pleasure does just that. Plus the acronyms! M.A.S.K equals Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand. And their nemesis is V.E.N.O.M, aka the Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: The Third and Final Season – Love, love, love Billie Piper!

Mars Needs Moms – Even aliens dig the MILFs. Just saying.

The Last Godfather – Harvey Keitel, this is your life. And your punishment is watching this bad gangster film spoof over and over and over.

Not to be Overlooked:

Stargate: Atlantis – The Complete Series – One of the better spin-off shows, and a nice thumb in the eye to anyone who said it couldn’t be done if “Star Trek” wasn’t in the title, “Stargate: Atlantis” took everything goofy, cheesy and fun about its predecessor and created a fantastic new world with one of the best villainous foes in TV history, the Wraith. All five seasons are gathered together in this nice Blu-Ray boxed set that is chock full of extra goodies that longtime fans will spend hours pouring over.

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Real Housewives Tour in Live Road Show

Posted Aug 15, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated Aug 15, 2011 at 09:07 AM

Lisa Vanderpump

 

Various cast members from Bravo’s “Real Housewives” reality series are going on the road for a live stage show.

  Bravo Media has put together :“The Real Housewives Live Tour” that launches in Atlanta City, N.J. on Oct. 1.

  Bravo promises that fans will have the chance to get up-close and personal with their favorite cast members as the ladies discuss the most talked about moments, reveal cast secrets and answer questions straight from the audience.  T

Additional stops include Chicago, IL on October 8 and Atlanta, GA on October 15.  Tickets will go on-sale Friday, August 19 at 10 a.m. with pre-sale tickets available through venues and participating media partners starting on August 17 at 10 a.m.  For more information, visit http://www.BravoTV.com or follow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

“Bravo viewers like to truly engage in the shows they are passionate about,” said Ellen Stone, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Bravo.  “With ‘The Real Housewives Live Tour,’ we are able to give our fans a unique, hands-on experience with their favorite cast members across franchises that they can’t experience anywhere else.”

“The Real Housewives Live Tour” will have different levels of participation including the Red Carpet Package which gives fans the chance to live like a celebrity as they gain exclusive access to a pre-show cocktail reception hosted by The Real Housewives, walk the red carpet through a special private entrance, receive a limited edition tour laminate and secure premium seating.

The following Housewives are scheduled to appear at the below dates and locations*:

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
DATE: October 1
VENUE: Caesars Circus Maximus Theater
Caroline Manzo- “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”
LuAnn de Lesseps- “The Real Housewives of New York City”
Kyle Richards- “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
Vicki Gunvalson- “The Real Housewives of Orange County”

HAMMOND, IN (CHICAGO)
DATE: October 8
VENUE: The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
Sonja Morgan- “The Real Housewives of New York City”
Gretchen Rossi – “The Real Housewives of Orange County”
Lisa Vanderpump- “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
Phaedra Parks- “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”

ATLANTA, GA
DATE: October 15
VENUE: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Nene Leakes- “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”
Jill Zarin– “The Real Housewives of New York City”
Melissa Gorga - “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”
Marysol Patton– “The Real Housewives of Miami”

*subject to change

Ticket Information
Both matinee and evening shows will be available in all markets with ticket prices ranging from $49.50 up to $170.00 for the Red Carpet Experience Package which will be on-sale until 10 days prior to event date.  Fans can purchase tickets by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com.

Red Carpet Experience Package Includes:
• Exclusive cocktail reception hosted by The Real Housewives
• Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
• Separate Private Entrance
• Walk the Bravo Red Carpet
• Limited edition tour laminate & matching lanyard
• Premiere Seating
** Note: Atlantic City and Chicago guests must be 21+

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GOP Presidential Candidates Debate Thursday on Fox

Posted Aug 10, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated Aug 10, 2011 at 11:07 AM

A gaggle of Republican Presidential candidates will take the stage at 9 tonight on Fox News Channel. “America’s Election HQ: Republican Presidential Debate,” anchored by Bret Baier, beams in live Iowa State University.  All are vying for attention before the Iowa primary.

Expected to participate are Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

Win or lose the nomination, these characters are likely to be in Tampa next summer at the GOP national convention.

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CBS to remake “Bewitched”

Posted Aug 10, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated Aug 10, 2011 at 10:23 AM

Everything old is new again.  CBS is considering a remake of “Bewitched,” the popular comedy that ran from 1964 to 1972.

A script has been ordered from Sony Pictures Television. If CBS likes it, the series would be developed by Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher, who produced Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman’s 2005 movie adaptation.

“Bewitched” followed the story of witch Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) who was trying to live the life of a normal housewife. Dick York and later Dick Sargent played Samantha’s husband Darrin.  Marc Lawrence (Miss Congeniality) will write the script and exec produce.

Bewitched follows on from a number of classic series being rebooted by networks, including “Hawaii Five-O” on CBS and “Charlie’s Angels” on ABC. TNT is also working on a remake of “Dallas.”

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Amazing Video: Car Parking Champ

Posted Aug 9, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated Aug 9, 2011 at 03:36 PM

Guinness World Records has released a video of a German man who set a new world record for the tightest parallel parking job.

Stuntman Ronny Wechselberger squeezed his Volkswagen Polo into a parking space that was only 10.26 inches longer than his car. He did it for a German TV show in April.

However, the record has since been topped on a Chinese TV show, where Zhang Hua squeezed a car into a tighter space - just 9.4 inches longer than that of the vehicle, Guinness reported.

Guinness said a video of that record-setting performance will be released later this year.

Watch Wechselberger’s amazing skills

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